The final method, a transcervical implant, is a hysteroscopic procedure in which soft micro-inserts are implanted into the fallopian tubes. There is no cutting involved, and the transcervical device is inserted using a flexible-delivery catheter. The implants are metal coils with mesh fibers that cause an inflammatory reaction. The resulting scar tissue growth into and around the implant takes approximately three months to completely occlude the fallopian tubes. During that period, another form of birth control is necessary. The other three sterilization methods have immediate effects. Tubal ligation is the most common form of female sterilization. Tubal ligation is a laparoscopic procedure and is minimally invasive, with a physician making one or two small incisions in the abdomen. In this procedure, the fallopian tubes are cut, burned, tied or blocked off. Some forms of tubal ligation are reversible, and the two ends of the fallopian tube can be re-attached. Mechanical sterilization uses either a clip (titanium or plastic) or a band. Ligation clips clamp the fallopian tube, cutting off blood supply to create fibrosis or scarring. Ligation bands, also known as falope rings, cinch a loop in the middle of the fallopian tube. Bipolar sterilization is a laparoscopic procedure that uses electric current from bipolar forceps to scar the fallopian tubes until they close. The high-energy current burns the tubes so that they coagulate, permanently blocking the tubes.

Female sterilization is a permanent form of birth control, requiring invasive surgery to reverse. Female sterilization prevents ova from coming down the fallopian tubes and blocks fertilization by sperm. There are a few ways to perform female sterilization, including tubal ligation, mechanical blockage with a clip or band, bipolar electrocoagulation or transcervical implants.